It is probably a reasonable indication it isn’t going to be a team’s day when they concede the opening goal by virtue of one of their players kicking the ball into his own face.
James McGarry cannot be faulted too harshly for his doomed attempt at clearing the cross: he could scarcely have legislated for it landing in his own dish, and then on to Makenzie Kirk’s plate.
The meal was largely made elsewhere – with too many cooks spoiling the midfield broth, an ill-advised decision to exit the stramash with an extravagant ladelled backheel was perhaps the first sign of mental and physical fatigue on the part of Sivert Heltne Nilsen, who has been playing non-stop since the Norwegian league began at the start of April.
That it led to a goal, though – and, in the final analysis, two dropped points – was down to some of the fortune Aberdeen had carried through the season’s early months beginning to even out.
Just as the Dons were never quite as dominant as to rack up a winning streak like they did without occasional assists from luck, so are they not yet as incessant as to be able to absorb outrageous blows and still emerge victorious, in the manner of sporting giants.
With experience, determination and a preceding reputation, that is a quality which can be developed. One day you’re smashing yourself in the nose, the next you’re the heavyweight champion of the world.
Though hints of fury were evident at the end of the first half – and a triple substitution was radical even for the shifty Jimmy Thelin – there is still acceptance around Pittodrie that beautifying this team is a longer process than putting up the Christmas decorations.
Results thus far, like the tinsel and banners, have been above the target window.
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